This invention relates to suspension packages of the type that suspend a packaged product within an outer container.
Suspension packages of this general type are known to the art and have met with considerable commercial success. See, for example, the suspension packages of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,606,459, 4,606,460, 5,056,665, 5,579,917, 5,669,506, 5,823,348, and 5,894,932, all assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The suspension package shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,459 includes fixed side and end walls that extend upwardly from a base. A tensor panel is pivotably mounted to each end wall, and a product restraint such as a hammock extends between the tensor panels. By rotating the tensor panels outwardly, the product restraint is tensioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,665 discloses a suspension package that is in many ways similar to that described above. In order to increase the strength of the fixed end panels, a brace is positioned to extend between the end panels adjacent the base.
The suspension package shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,506 includes end walls that are fixed at a desired angle with respect to the base, and a product restraint such as a hammock that is tensioned between the end walls. In this case, the base is creased such that the two halves of the base can be pivoted toward one another about this crease to bring the end walls closer together and to relieve tension on the product restraint.